Wilson, South Carolina facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Wilson, South Carolina
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 Wilson, South Carolina
Location in South Carolina
Wilson, South Carolina
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | South Carolina |
| County | Clarendon |
| Elevation | 118 ft (36 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code |
29102
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| Area code(s) | 803, 839 |
Wilson, once known as Wilson's Mill, is a small community in Clarendon County, South Carolina, United States. It's not a city or town with its own government, but rather an unincorporated community. You can find Wilson along U.S. Route 521, located between the towns of Manning and Greeleyville, South Carolina. For many years, Wilson even had its own post office, which was open from 1888 until 1982.
Contents
The Story of Wilson: How It Began
The community of Wilson, sometimes called Ida, got its name from a man named Thomas Wilson. He was a Scotsman from Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, who built a sawmill in the area in the late 1800s. This sawmill was called Wilson's Mill.
Who Was Thomas Wilson?
Thomas Wilson and his wife, Eleanor Coyle McCormack, moved to America from Scotland in 1866. Before coming south, Wilson worked as a boilermaker for the York and Erie Railroad in New Jersey. He then moved to North Carolina and finally settled in South Carolina, near where Wilson is today.
Wilson's Mill: A Busy Place
Thomas Wilson's sawmill grew into a large operation. It included homes for his workers, a store where they could buy supplies, and even a railroad depot. A post office was also part of this busy community.
Connecting by Rail: The Wilson and Summerton Railroad
Wilson's Mill became very important for logging along the Santee River. To help move the timber, an eight-mile-long railroad was built into the Santee Swamp. This railroad connected with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, which ran from Sumter to Charleston.
This new railroad was named the Wilson and Summerton Railroad. By 1888, it connected with another railroad at a place called Millard, near Summerton. The post office, first called Wilsons, opened in the same year. Its name was changed to Wilson in 1894.
Changes and New Beginnings
By 1891, most of the trees in the area had been cut down. Thomas Wilson closed his mill and moved away. The Wilson and Summerton Railroad was renamed the Northwestern Railroad of South Carolina in 1899. Thomas Wilson served as the president of this railroad until he passed away in New York City in 1921. The Northwestern Railroad eventually stopped running in 1935, after the Great Depression.
After the sawmill closed, the people of Wilson turned to farming. Tobacco became a very important and profitable crop for them. Even today, farming is still the main activity in Wilson. The community's post office officially closed in 1982.
